Sports Writer for The Age

Joany Badenhorst always loved dancing. She can still remember the time when, as a young girl growing up in South Africa's Free State, she would compete against, and beat, girls older than herself.

Her favourite was modern dance, but she also competed in - and disliked intensely - tap dance.

That was before she lost her leg in a farm accident a month before her 10th birthday. The 19-year-old doesn't do so much dancing now, jokingly describing her efforts as ''looking like a drunken bear''.

But it does not come across as surprising that it was dancing - and a somewhat stubborn need to prove a point - that has the outgoing teenager preparing for the Sochi Winter Paralympic Games as a snowboarder.

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''I was having a high-heel leg made for my year-12 formal,'' Badenhorst said. ''They were a bit sceptical because the shoes I had chosen were ridiculously high.

''But I wanted to prove a point so I started running and jumping and dancing in this leg and just next to me was [national snowboard cross coach] Peter Higgins and [Paralympic teammate] Trent Milton preparing Trent's leg for the Sochi pre-Games. Pete saw me running and jumping in these ridiculously high heels. He got my number and he called me and asked if I would be interested.''

Remarkably that was only in early 2013 with Badenhorst, who competed for South Africa in track and field events before her family moved to Australia in 2009, settling in Griffith in NSW.

She has taken so quickly to snowboarding that within one year she is ranked No.8 in the world. She, Milton and 14-year-old Ben Tudhope will be competing in the snowboard cross on March 14.

''It's been a roller-coaster; it's snowballed completely,'' she said. ''I did not imagine myself sitting here right now when I started snowboarding.

''Sochi was never really on the cards for me, so I'm flabbergasted that I can actually be here.

''I've represented South Africa before, but it's not the same. I think the opportunity to actually wear Australian colours and be proud of representing your country, I can't describe to you what that means to me and that's the highlight.

''My field is incredibly competitive. I'm racing with girls who have been racing for 10 or 14 years, people who, that's their life.

''I'm only new at this. I respect that they've done this for ages, but I'm in the mix. I'll be fine. I'm going to give it my all and I'm hoping for good results, but then again … just being there is just phenomenal, so I'm pretty happy either way.''